From honey to apple Paddy’s Irish launches flavored whiskey across the US

The brand’s Bee Sting and Devil’s Apple flavours will initially launch in the US, while the Irish Honey and Spiced Apple flavours will launch in France
Photo by: Thespiritsbusiness.com

Paddy Irish whiskey is rolling out new flavors in the United States and France in October. Bee’s Sting and Devil’s Apple will come to the United States and Irish Honey and Spiced Apple will come to France.

Generally Irish whiskey producers have not made flavored whiskies, but Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, to which Paddy Irish Whiskey belongs, has said that it wants to “challenge the traditional perceptions of whiskey.” The four new flavors mark Paddy Irish Whiskey’s entry into the flavored whiskey market, which is one of the fastest growing spirit markets in the past year. Beam (Jim Beam Honey, Red Stag), Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey), Diageo (Bushmills Honey, Crown Royal Maple Finished) and Campari (Wild Turkey American Honey) are some of the competitors in the market.
The Spirit Business quoted Brendan Buckley of the global innovation and category development director for Pernod Ricard said, “With flavored whiskey standing at more than three million cases annually and growing strongly, there is a real opportunity for us to offer something a little different that will appeal to people who already enjoy flavored whiskey, and also recruit new consumers to the category.”

Paddy Irish has pulled out all the stops for its entry to the new market. Paddy Irish received a marketing overhaul and the new bottle features a tactile embossing design, a banner reading “The Flaherty Brand,” and a new signature of original founder James Murphy. The bottle kept the multi colored map of Ireland on the label.

Buckley said about the new design, “We are excited about introducing more consumers throughout the world to the flavor and quality of Irish whiskey and we are confident that the new look Paddy is primed for success in its launch markets.”

As part of its introduction to the market, Paddy Irish has a new campaign in the US called “Sleep When You’re 30,” which will target consumers in their 20s.

Paddy Whiskey was first distilled in 1779 and sold under the name Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whiskey. The name was changed in 1913 to pay tribute to salesman Paddy Flaherty who went from pub to pub to market the whiskey. Pernod Ricard released a Paddy Centenary Edition in September 2013 to celebrate a hundred years of the Irish whiskey brand. Paddy’s Irish is a triple distilled whiskey and the third best selling whiskey in Ireland.